Improvement in armpit-shields



ELLA c. BRAGG.

ARM-PIT SHIELD.

N0-169,515.' Patented Nov. 2, 1187 5.

PETERS, PHOTOJJTHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELLA o. BRAGG, on LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN ARMPlT-SHIELDS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,515, dated November 2, 1875; application filed April 20, 1B75.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELLA G. BRAGG, of Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Dress-Protectors, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view, showing the marginal stiffeningframe removed from the. protector; Fig. 2, a perspective view of a protector having the marginal stiffening-frame and shoulder-strap.

My invention relates to that class of protectors which are worn by women between the armpits and the dress for the purpose of preventing the dress from becoming stained or discolored by perspiration. These protectors are usually made of some yielding water-proof fabric or material, which, to be properly held in place, requires to be sewed or otherwise firmly secured to the dress; consequently, it is necessary to provide a pair of protectors for each dress, or else detach the protectors from the dress last worn, and attach them anew to a dress about to be worn, thus occasioning, in the former case, unnecessary expense, and in the latter much inconvenience and loss of time.

My invention has for its object to do away with these objections, and provide a Self-adjusting dress-protector adapted to be placed under the. armpit and hold itself in place without being attached to the dress.

To this end my invention consists in a shield made of any suitable yielding fabric or material, of. a shape adapted to protect the dress and sleeve under the armpit, provided with a marginal stiffening-frame and an elastic or other suitable shoulder-strap, as I will now proceed to describe.

In the drawings, A represents the protector, which is preferably composed of two crescentshaped pieces of yielding fabric or material,

united at their concave edges, this form being best adapted to fit under the arm-pit. B rep resents a marginal frame, of wire or other the protector is thus kept in the proper shape for protecting the dress and sleeve under the armpit without being attached to the dress. 0 represents a shoulder-strap, made of elastic or other suitable material, and adapted to secure the protector A to the arm or shoulder of the wearer.

It will be readily seen that the protector thus constructed can be readily applied to the person before the dress is put on, and will keep itself in the proper position with relation to the armpit and dress and sleeve without any fastening to the dress, the shoulder-strap holding it in place, and the marginal frame keeping it,expanded and preventing it from wrinkling. A single pair of protectors is therefore sufficient for all the dresses of a ladys wardrobe, and no time is lost in detaching the protectors from one dress and attaching them to another.

The protector may be additionally stiffened by strips ofwhalebone applied to the fabric in any desired manner.

I claim as my invention- 1. An armpit-shield composed of yielding fabric or material, stiffened or expanded by a marginal frame, substantially as described, for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the shield A, marginal frame B, and shoulder-strap O, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ELLA O. BRAGG.

Witnesses:

L. D. BRAGG, J. D. BLACK. 

